Kayla Gross - Football Coach - Oregon State University Athletics

Kayla Gross

Title:
Director of Beyond Football
Email:
kayla.gross@oregonstate.edu
Phone:
250-6379

Kayla Gross was appointed the Director of Beyond Football in January 2016.

Gross is responsible for developing the strategic vision and implementation of the Beyond Football program, an initiative that aims to empower, engage and prepare student-athletes for life after the game. Thanks to a generous gift from an OSU alumnus, the Beyond Football program connects student-athletes to campus and community resources, engages them in the community and provides them with professional skills and competencies required for post-graduation success.

Gross arrived at Oregon State after serving as the University of Wisconsin’s athletic department’s community relations coordinator since April 2012, responsible for the creation and oversight of the Badgers Give Back community outreach program. Gross played a predominant role in the creation of the department and led the growth of the program from one part-time student employee to its own department with operating budget, full-time employee and eight undergraduate interns in 18 months. Responsible for the outreach efforts of 23 varsity sports and more than 750 student-athletes, she drove a 344 percent increase in hours volunteered by student-athletes and a 447 percent increase in appearances.

Gross completed extensive research on sports community outreach during her time at Wisconsin. In 2015, she put her research to use while serving as a consultant for Helper Helper, LLC, a smartphone application that encourages student-athlete involvement by making opportunities accessible via smartphone. In that role she provided strategic insight on the role of a community relations coordinator, strategies for engaging student-athletes and tips for creating and sharing an outreach story.

A native of Howard Lake, Minn., Gross earned her bachelor’s degree from the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She currently serves on the university’s Mental Health Initiative committee and is also a Special Olympics basketball coach.